Another Hero
by MingyGerakobits
Summary: *DISCONTINUED* A young girl living on the streets of Bowerstone Industrial discovers that she has a much bigger fate laying before her. Takes place during the events of Fable 3. WARNING: *SPOILERS*
1. Chapter 1

Morning. The streets of Bowerstone Industrial were quiet except for the faint hum of machines in the distance. As usual, the air was warm and muggy due to all of the pollution. Near the docks, a figure shot out from behind some crates heading toward a ship that was unloading cargo. She nimbly scurried up the bow and onto the deck unnoticed. The girl looked about and spotted her target. It was a crate full to the brim with food of the finest kind. That meant it was supposed to be delivered to the castle. She quietly made her way over to the crate and swiped a piece of bread, having to use as much stealth as she could manage in order to avoid being noticed by the crowd of soldiers. Once she made it back to the ground, she went over to a nearby building where a woman around forty was waiting. She had recently lost her home due to the high taxes. She handed over the bread over to the lady.

"Oh, thank you, Azaria. You're such a dear. But if you keep doing this, you'll get caught one of these days."

"Me, caught?! Ha! Those guys have a better chance of falling off a cliff than catchin' me!"

"Alright. But be careful."

With that done, Azaria made her way to her "home". It was an abandoned warehouse next to one of the factories. She and six other homeless people lived there. It was the very place where she had been raised. The only reason she stayed there was because she knew nowhere else. When she got inside, everyone else was asleep so she went to her sleeping area. It was just a tattered mattress covered with a thin, patched blanket with a broken desk next to it with a small mirror on top of it. She looked into it, hoping to see some kind of incredible beauty. But again all she saw was her thick, messy raven-black hair that always stuck up in all directions, her glassy, equally black eyes and her literally chalk-white skin. Since it was still early, she tried to go back to sleep, but she couldn't after the incident on the ship. So she decided to go outside and find some food for herself.

When she stepped outside, she could hear a commotion at the factory nearby. She knew she needed to find food as soon as possible, but curiosity got the best of her. When she got there, she figured out what it was. Apparently the factory workers were staging an uprising. She agreed with the man on the stand in the center. Just then she heard a gunshot, and he fell to the ground. She looked up where the shot had come from, which was the balcony. Standing on it was the one she least hoped to see. Reaver. She had heard terrible stories about him quite a bit and had seen him on posters, but had never seen him in person. Luckily, he didn't notice her, for his attention was fixed upon the dead man. Once he finished his speech, she was horrified. That was so unfair! But there was nothing she could do at the present, so she started off toward the market in hopes of finding something to eat.

She wandered the plaza until she finally found a stall selling fruit. She reached into her pocket and pulled out 23 gold pieces she had saved during the week. It wasn't much, but it looked like enough to get an a piece of fruit or two. Then again, prices were dropping, so there was a chance she could get an entire crate!

She nervously approached the stall vendor. As soon as he saw her, his face turned hard.

"Begone with ya, you filthy beggar."

"Hey! That's not very nice! But I'm just here to see how much fruit I can get with this."

"23 pieces, eh? About 14 apples."

"I'll take it."

Carrying the crate all the way back to warehouse in Industrial proved to be a very cumbersome task. Not only was it heavy, some of the apples kept falling out and she was starting to slip in the mud and grime on the roads. Finally, after about 20 minutes of sliding all over the place and catching apples, she made it back to the warehouse. By then everybody was awake and wandering the building. The first one to see her was a middle-aged man sitting at the top of the stairs. He slid down the rail and walked over the girl.

"Hey, there, Azaria. Where ya been? We spent half the mornin' lookin' for ya. Hey, whatcha got there?"

"Apples. Got em' from the market. I was thinkin' since there's 7 of us and 14 apples, we could each have two for the day."

"Aww, you didn't have to go out and do that. That was yer gold. But alrighty then. Hey, you lot! Azaria's gone and brought us some food!"

Instantly the people began to crowd around the box, surveying the fruit. Each got their ration and began to devour it. But Azaria just stared at the shiny apples. She was lucky to even get one. Not just that, remembering what happened at the factory that morning was making her lose her appetite. "Aye, what's the matter lass? You look upset. Somethin' bothering' ya?"

"W-what? Oh, no. Nothing. It's just that… never mind."

"Speak up, lass. You can't get rid of your troubles without talkin' 'bout em' first. Now, what's on yer mind?"

"Well Pedro, I don't know if you'll understand."

"Tell me anyways. It'll make ya feel better."

"Alright. This morning I set out to find some food for us, which turned out to be the apples. On my way there, there was a commotion at the factory. It was some sort of uprising."

"Aye. I know what you're talkin' 'bout, lass. The whole town's knows about it. But by looks of things you had to bear full witness. No wonder you've gone and lost yer appetite. Can't blame ya. But ya need to eat somethin'. Go ahead take a few bites. That might be part of the reason you're feelin' so cruddy. Oh, and one more thing- Once you're done, me and the other lads got somethin' for ya."

"Wait. Before ya go, there's something else I want to tell you."

"What?"

"The guy that I bought the apples from called me a filthy beggar."

"In a way ya are. All of us are. But listen. If anybody says somethin' that terrible to ya ever again, just give em' a kick in shin like you do to James when he scares ya."

"Haha thanks Pedro. You always know how to make me laugh."

"No problem. But I've taken enough of yer time already. Now eat yer apples and see what we got ya."

Once she was done eating, she went over where the others were waiting. Sure enough, They were gathered in a semicircle, Pedro holding something wrapped in cloth.

"Well don't just stand there, lass! Come on over!" She walked over there and took it from his hands. Whatever was inside was cold. And heavy. She unwrapped it and nearly stopped breathing. It was a steel pistol, already loaded with ammunition, ready for use.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you! But how did you get it?"

"We went and swiped from the blacksmith when he wasn't lookin'! Don't look so scared I'm just kiddin'. What we really did is we helped out around town and very slowly earned gold."

"How long?"

"Ever since you said you wanted a pistol- a year ago! As you can see, we ain't people for breakin' promises. Now, why don't ya go outside and try it out?"

"In the middle of the city?!"

"Don't worry. I already set somethin' up for ya. Daniel! Where did ya put that thing?"

"Over by the old machinery."

"Well don't just stand there! Go get it! Our little Azaria's got a gun to test!"

What Daniel brought over nearly made Azaria bust out laughing. It was a model of Logan, the current king of Albion.

"We couldn't find metal to make the crown, so we had to paint some wood yellow. Now, don't be afraid. Trust the gun. They always know what they're doin'- nearly. Now, like this-"

Once her her hand was fastened securely around the handle, she needed no further assistance. Her hand felt right at home. She raised it up and aimed at the head of the mannequin. Then, she squeezed the trigger. There was a deafening bang and the sound of ripping cloth. With her ears still ringing, Azaria opened her eyes. A perfect shot.


	2. Chapter 2

The bullet had gone straight through the middle of the head, no doubt a shot that would've killed instantly. Having been knocked backward by the shot, Azaria staggered to her feet and looked. With the gun still in her hand, she walked over the false Logan and picked up the bullet. The others cheered.

"Aye, lass, you're pretty good with a firearm. Look at that! Went right through the head, ya did. If only it was the real thing… But no matter, we'll celebrate anyways."

"Yeah! She might even be good enough to be a hero!"

"No, Davy. It was just a lucky shot, that's all."

"Hero? You mean like the old queen?"

"Yes lass, she was. And a darn good one too. But do ya like yer new gun?"

"Are you kidding?! I love it! But, I know this is a random question, but where did I come from?"

"Eh?"

"You know, where was I found? What's my story?" He shifted uncomfortably and sat down on a box.

"Well, it's like this. Me and the chaps were out lookin' for things we could use. It was then we heard some cryin' comin' from a dumpster. Inside of it was a baby, hair as dark as a moonless midnight and skin as white as chalk. We looked around to see who left ya there, but we couldn't find nobody. So, we decided to take you in because we couldn't just leave you there. When we brought you inside, there was a note attached to the cloth you were wrapped in."

"What did it say?"

"It said that your name was Azaria and it wanted whoever found ya to keep ya safe from the dangers of society. And I think we've done pretty good, if I do say so myself. That's it. That's all we know."

"So that's it? I was just abandoned in the garbage?! If they didn't want me, couldn't they have sent me to the orphanage?"

"Don't talk like that. By the way the note was written, I'm sure whoever left you there loved you very much but couldn't take care of ya."

"But who were they? Who knows…"

"Hmm, you don't really look like many people I've seen 'round these parts. Come to think of it, ya kinda look like Reaver!"

"What?!", she yelled.

"It's true, though."

After he said that, an explosion was heard and the north wall of the warehouse collapsed. It was loud but Azaria could hear some voices-

"They're in here! Get them! Leave no one!"

Instantly the others began to panic.

"Oh, no. I knew they'd find us eventually. You see, apparently it's illegal for us homeless folks to live in someone else's property other than a shelter."

"That's stupid! This place isn't even being used!"

"I always thought the same thing. Now go before they find ya! You can escape through the hatch over there."

"But what about you guys?"

"Don't worry lass. We'll be fine. Go!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Already soldiers were flooding inside.

"Now!"

Azaria grabbed her pistol and fled through the hatch and to the outside. She could hear gunshots and the screaming voices of her friends. She couldn't stay there. So, as quickly as she could, she set off down the street, dodging lampposts and pedestrians. After while she finally came to the end of the market and kept running, pushing tree branches out of her way. For a brief moment she looked back at the city beginning to disappear below the horizon. After a few more minutes of running, she lost her breath and sat down on a rock near a river. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. How could some people be so cruel? It just wasn't fair. Besides all that, she had nowhere to go now that the place she had called home for so long was destroyed. She wondered how the others were doing. She was trying to convince herself that they were still alive. But since she couldn't go back, she continued on through the forest until she came to an elaborate scene. There were several mansions scattered around the landscape with a huge lake in the center that had a white gazebo in it which was connected to the land by a bridge. She didn't know why, but she felt… drawn to the place somehow. It was like she had been there before, even though she clearly had not.

As she walked down the road, many of the nobles looked down and scowled. It was true you didn't often see a homeless person walking through rich society. But she didn't care, because her eyes were fixed upon the huge pink house at the far end. She had never seen anything like it. Then she stopped in her tracks as she saw the statue in front of the gate. Reaver. This was his home. So she quickly turned the other way and bolted down another path which led to another forest, this one very large. As she ran into the forest she heard someone say: "Serves that beggar right, going into Silverpines. We have no use for someone like that. Now the balverines will have her."

Balverines? She had heard rumors about them but had never actually believed in them. She assumed that it was just a superstition and pressed on through the woods.

Silverpines was a lot bigger than she expected. There seemed to be endless turns and everything looked the same, making it difficult to navigate. She walking until she heard a low growl from behind followed by a high-pitched howl. She turned around and saw the ugliest thing she had ever laid her eyes on. And it was not alone. Behind it came five smaller, black ones. "_These must be the balverines I've heard so much about…._", She thought to herself. In a matter of seconds she was surrounded. There was nowhere to run, so she had to fight. Before she could do anything, a black one lunged at her, baring its teeth. She dodged and pulled her pistol out of her pocket. She took aim and fired. The creature gave an ear-splitting shriek and fell to the ground. For the next 3 minutes she dodged and fired. She looked around and noticed the white one was missing from sight. Just then, she felt a sharp pain in her back and fell. She thought she was done for, but almost instantly the pain dissolved. She leapt to her feet and grabbed her gun, but once again the white balverine had hidden itself. "Hmmm, pretty smart for an animal." She closed her eyes and listened. Then she heard something behind her. Quick as a flash she turned around and fired. There was the white balverine, on the ground, struggling between life and death. She fired once more and it stopped, dead. She had just won her first fight. But she had no time to stay and gloat. So she turned in the direction where she was going, and pressed on.


	3. Chapter 3

Azaria didn't have any more trouble as she continued through the forest. She kept going until she saw what appeared to be a small village. "Why would somebody build a town in place like this…?" When she got there, she heard someone raise a gun and yell. With a her newfound reflex she pulled out her gun and turned to her right. It turned to be a man around 30.

"Oh, sorry, mate. I thought you were another one of those bloody balverines. Well, then. Looks like there's nothing' to worry about, so go ahead have a look around."

Those words were pretty ironic, because there was hardly anything to look at. The place practically seemed like a ghost town compared to the busy streets of Bowerstone. There wasn't much to do there, so she continued on past the other side of the village. She continued on until she came to a stone wall. A dead end. That meant she would have to turn back. She was about to retrace her steps when she heard a high-pitched howl. Another pack of balverines. "Don't these things ever give up…?"

This time she was ready. She pulled out her gun and pointed in the direction in which the howl came from. There was a shriek and a dull thud of the creature falling on the ground. But it wasn't over yet. More balverines came out of the trees, this time accompanied by larger, reddish ones. And this pack was a lot bigger than the last one. She fought her way through the black ones with ease but her luck wasn't as great with the red ones. They were smarter and a lot faster. She had a little trouble hitting them despite her excellent skill with firearms. When she managed to kill one, another came up and struck her in the back of her head. She fell to the ground, and everything went black.

When Azaria woke up, she thought she was dead. Then she realized she was in a bed. The back of her head hurt. She felt the area and discovered a scar. Then she realized she no longer had her gun. At first she began to panic, but then felt a wave of relief when she saw it on the table next to her. Judging by the looks of the room she knew she must be back in the village. But who had brought her here? Just then a door opened and a woman stepped in.

"Oh, goodness. You nearly gave me a heart attack. But the good news is that you're awake. I found you knocked out near the edge of the forest. What on earth happened, child?"

"I was attacked by balverines."

"I should've known. Those bloodthirsty beasts will attack anyone. Now, what's your name?"

"Azaria. Yours?"  
>"Marie. Oh, and when I found you on the ground, there was a pistol next to you. I didn't know who it belonged to, but I figured it was abandoned and brought it with me. It's a silly thing to ask, but it wouldn't happen to be yours, would it?"<p>

"Yes, it is."

"Goodness! How old are you?"

"Fourteen."  
>"Good heavens! A child your age with a gun! Who knew. Are you a good shot?"<p>

"I guess. But if ya don't mind, I probably should leave, now."

"Alright. But be careful."

"Wait. This will sound a little bit selfish, but I have nothing on me, so I was wondering if you could spare some food."

"Of course. Why didn't you say anything at the start? Here, I'll see what I can find. In a matter of minutes Marie had stuffed a leather bag with provisions.

"Thank you. It's not everyday one helps the homeless, now, is it? I hope I find more people like you."

"I'm sure you will. Now, be careful."

With the bag over her shoulder, she set out through the forest once again, leaving the town behind. She had a few more balverine encounters but this time they were smaller than the last one. Finally, she came to the place where she had entered from. She knew she had to keep going, but this time she managed to work up enough courage to investigate the large, pink mansion. The closer she got, the more intimidating it seemed. Next to one of the hedges was a red-haired man dressed in a black servant uniform, trimming the leaves. He saw her out of the corner of his eye, then fell the ground and covered his face with hands.

"P-please! I'm wuhkin' as fast as I can! I pwomise!" He uncovered his face and saw the girl.

"Oh, fuh a second there I thought you was mastah Weavah. You look just like him. Now go! Off with you! Shoo!"

"Wait- you just said master? So that means you're-"

"His sewvent? Yes. Believe me, it's not pleasant, either, with his constant whipping if it doesn't look like I'm wuhkin' hard enough."

"Sheesh, I actually kinda feel bad for you. Before I go, can I at least know your name?"

He bowed neatly. "Ah, yes. Bawwy Hawtch at your service. Yours?"

"Azaria." His brown/blue eyes looked her over.

"Come to think of it, you do gweatly resemble him. Wait… Can it be… Nah. That's impossible. Mastah Weavah took care of that. But like I said earlier, shoo!"

This time she wasted no time in order not to cause a problem. Soon enough she found herself on the road that led to Bowerstone. But she couldn't go back. So she kept going until she found a fork in the road. She followed it, hoping it would lead her somewhere else. Indeed it did, taking her farther than she had ever traveled before. When she got tired she found a nearby rock and rested. Soon enough she came to a place that filled her with some sort of dread. She couldn't describe this feeling, but it was telling her to leave. But she was not a coward, so she pressed on anyway. As she continued through the graveyard, she thought she saw a flash of blue from time to time but assumed she was seeing things. She could barely contain her laughter at the inscriptions on the headstones. Then there was one that she could not read. She bent down to wipe off the dirt. She was concentrating so hard that she didn't notice the blue light she had seen before fly into the grave. These were called wisps, but she had yet to experience what they were capable of. Just as some letters were beginning to show, a hand shot out the ground and grabbed her arm. Alarmed she jumped back. And that wasn't the last of it. Several more wisps flew in and made their way into the ground, and from those areas rose the remains of dead. She knew what these were because she read about them in a book once. Hollow Men. Once again she pulled out her gun for defense. Several were defeated in a single shot but there far too many for her to handle. So she did something she hoped she'd never have to do- run.

She sped down the path to see if they were still following her. Luckily they weren't, but she wasn't going to risk going back. So she kept going until she arrived at some sort of stronghold...


	4. Chapter 4

The building was a lot bigger than it looked from a distance. At first she was worried she was trespassing, but felt relieved when she saw Albion's flag, which meant it was an army camp. She went inside, hoping she could find some help, but the place was abandoned. Boxes were tipped over with their contents scattered elsewhere, there were scratches all over the walls and the ground was stained with blood. No doubt something horrible had happened there. No one was there, so she decided to have a look around. First, she headed up the stairs and went to the balcony. She looked down and nearly squealed with delight. It was a mortar. She had always wanted to fire one of those. Luckily, next to it was some gunpowder and ammunition. So she loaded it and lit the fuse by creating sparks using stones. There was a loud bang a dull thud on the ground in front of the fort. Then she saw several figures rise up from the ground near the fort. More hollow men. She reached for her gun and realized she would have to find more weapons than the pistol. She hastily searched the area due to the fact the horde had spotted her and was advancing toward the stronghold. Finally in a barrel she found a slightly rusty cutlass still attached to the belt of whom it once it belonged to. Luckily the belt was adjustable. Once she had fastened around her waist, the hollow men had entered the building. Azaria drew out her newfound sword and prepared for combat. Like the gun, one touch and she knew how to use it. She charged into the mob and began to slash at the undead.

Just as she had slaughtered the last one, another one arose in front of her. However, this one was bigger and appeared to have much more flesh. "Piece of cake, these things are pathetic." After she said that, she struck it, but this time the cutlass didn't go in and out so easily. The creature seemed to absorb the shot. After that many more wisps came from it forming another mob of hollow men. "Oh, shoot. I guess I got little carried away with my ego…" She ran toward it, adeptly dodging strikes from the others. Finally, she jammed the sword directly into the glowing area. It seemed to explode along with the others. Looking at all that had happened, she knew she couldn't stay there, and she figured it would safe to return to her former home. So she slid her new sword into the belt and darted down the path to Bowerstone Industrial.

When she got there, she could see no one. Then a man carrying a crate passed by.

"Hey, what's a kid like you doin' out here? Shouldn't ya be working' in one of them factories? With what's going' on I wouldn't be outside anyways."

"What's happening?"

"The king's giving' a speech. But I wouldn't worry about it because you kids are too stupid to understand."

"Hey! That's not very nice! What's it about?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Please?"

"Something about a traitor. Now off with you!"

She knew she shouldn't, but she went anyway out of curiosity. The crowd was so huge it was nearly impossible to see. She made her way to the second row to avoid being seen. Next to her was a woman who seemed to comfort her for some reason. She was wearing a flowing white dress with blue trim and her hair was pulled back in a short ponytail. She noticed her, looked down and smiled. For a second she thought she heard the blonde-haired man next to her say princess, but assumed she was hearing things. Just then Logan came out of the doors accompanied by several soldiers, tow holding a man by the arms. So this was the traitor the man was talking about. Logan gave a harsh speech about treason and the man was shot. Azaria fought back tears and reached over in an attempt to hold the woman's hand, but she and the blonde were gone. Unable to stand the sight anymore, she looked to the side. But that didn't help, because she could see the gallows. Hanging from them were Pedro and the others, which made her sob harder. It wasn't fair. The people were just trying to make a stand for what's right. She couldn't take it anymore, so she turned around and ran. She ran away from the city because the place held too many memories. She didn't care where she ended up, she just wanted to get away from there.

She sped past trees and boulders, wiping her eyes until she tripped on a rock and fell. She looked up and saw the place where she had come at the beginning of her journey. Millfields. She slowly walked down the path and onto the gazebo in the middle of the lake. Once again she felt that special feeling that she was supposed to be there, which comforted her somewhat. Finally after a few minutes she had fully collected herself, until a certain voice behind her made her freeze with fear.

"My, my, my. What have we here? A runaway, perhaps?"


	5. Chapter 5

Azaria didn't know what to do because now her thoughts were racing. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't just turn around and say some sassy remark. Then it hit her. She could get rid of him. She will have done Albion a huge favor. So she drew her gun, turned around, and fired, only for the bullet to be deflected by his cane. Startled, she fell to the ground. She didn't think such a thing was possible. While she was trying to collect her thoughts, Reaver pulled out his own gun and pointed it toward her. Just when his finger was on the trigger, he stopped and examined her. After a few seconds his smirk dissolved and he dropped the gun. It landed on the path with a clang.

"What was that about?! I really expected you to be more impressive, but this is just pathetic! Put of a fight will ya?" After a long moment he picked up his pistol, walked over to her, and struck her in the back of the head with it. Once again, she fell down, and everything went black.

When Azaria awoke, she was on a white couch. She looked around. The room was huge. And dark. The color scheme was mostly red and black. And the place was a mess. She had no idea where she was, but she knew she needed to get out of there. She checked to see if she still had her weapons. Luckily she did. After that she made a beeline toward the door but it was locked. She tried using her sword to pry it open, but the door wouldn't budge. Exhausted, she slid the sword back into the slot in her belt and sat down. It was then when she could feel someone watching her. She looked around to the left, then to the right. No one. She looked behind and nearly jumped out of her skin. Reaver was at the top of the stairs, with a deep scowl rather than his usual cocky sirk. She began to shudder as he walked down the stairs and in her direction. He stared at her for a moment, then whipped out the pistol and fired. Quick as lightning she pulled out her sword and deflected it with ease.

"Looks like my suspicions were proven to be correct, no? Such a shame. And I was hoping this year I could have a peaceful sacrifice…"

"What the hell do you mean by 'sacrifice'?"

"It's a rather tiresome point in my lifetime. And now I am afraid I have to kill you now in order to retain the deal."

"Deal? This doesn't make any sense! I suggest you come clean or else!"

"Oh, Im shaking in my black custom-made leather boots!"

"You are such a faker! Speak up!"

He stood there for a few minutes, with that dreaded smirk.

"Hmm, you seem to have a way with words, so I won't kill you- yet. Instead, I have a better idea."

He tightly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down the halls, Azaria struggling to break free of his grip. Finally, he came to a door and forced her through. She heard ir lock behind her. She was trapped. After what seemed like hours, the doors on the platform above burst open, and Reaver walked in.

"I've already done this once today, but to see it again should be most entertaining."

Once again she drew her gun and fired at him in frustration only for him to deflect the bullet once more. He just stood there, glaring at her. She looked up on the platform and noticed something next to him. It took her a few seconds, but she then recognized it as the severed body of Barry.

"What-"

"Oh, this? It was an unfortunate… incident. Now,the intriguing object in front of you is the Wheel of Misfortune. Quite a work of machinery if I do say so myself. But there is really no point in telling you all this because you will soon be dead and I will be off the hook."

He tapped his cane twice and the arrow on the wheel began to spin until it stopped on one of the symbols. It appeared to be a skull of some sort. Right after it stopped, one of the steel doors opened, revealing a hallway into another room. She had a bad feeling about walking in, but she had no other choice. When she got there, the gate slammed shut. The room was a lot like a swamp, much to her dismay, because she hated getting wet. She began to walk forward. After she did, the doors above burst open, and Reaver stepped in.

"Such a shame I'm the only guest. I've already hosted this week's party, but one might as well enjoy."

"Seriously! What is this?!"

"I would tell you, but you are about to be dead in a matter of minutes so there's no point in spilling the beans wouldn't you agree?"

"No! Never!"

"Not you, you imbecile. I have yet someone else to introduce."

There was a low growl, and a creature ran to his side. It was a balverine, but this one had ginger fur. She thought it was impossible, but she looked through the gate because she could see the platform, and Barry's body was missing. She was startled out of her daze when Reaver spoke again, with that same snotty tone.

"Now, you must fight and entertain me or else-" He pointed to What used to be Barry and drew a finger over his neck.

"What's the big difference?! I'm going to die no matter what I choose!"

"Precisely. So, the longer you fight, the longer you live. You don't fight, you die. Sounds simple enough."

"You… you… Monster!"

"It's a shame you are only a child, but it has to be done. Now let's stop talking and get this over with, shall we?"

He tapped his cane again and wisps began to fly in from all directions. From where they landed rose hollow men. This was no problem for her, because she had dealt with them before. She drew her sword and began to slash at the horde. It was over in a matter of minutes. Panting, she looked up at Reaver. He scowled and let the door to the ballroom open. She made her way back and looked at the wheel. Something about it sent shivers down her spine. Reaver came onto the balcony, still scowling. His eyes examined her. He removed his hat to readjust his hair, and pulled off a single strand that was a shiny silver color. His skin was normally very chalky, but now it had taken on a sickly gray. He was no longer cocky looking. He was scared. "The countdown has begun…", he murmured softly. She didn't know what he was talking about, but this time he wasn't paying attention so it was her chance. She quickly drew her pistol and fired, but of course he blocked it. She really wished he would stop doing that. He put his hat back on and jumped from the ledge to the ground just a few feet from her. By now his complexion had returned to normal, his shiny black eyes taking her in. They were like pits that made her lose vision of everything else. Then again, people always said that about her eyes. Then she noticed they also both had black hair and colorless skin. Before she could react, he struck her in the head with his cane, and Azaria was knocked out again.

This time when she woke up she was in a cage, next to a chicken. She screamed and the chicken jumped backwards, flapping its wings and squawking loudly. The room she was in was very dark and was filled with bookshelves with some of their contents spilling out which she recognized as condoms, and a large bed was in the center of the room. When she realized this room was for, she began to feel sick to her stomach. "Ah, so the valiant tombay has awakened." Reaver came out from a dark corner.

"What do ya want with me? Just tell me and I'll be on my way."

"It's complicated. I'll tell you this, my dear- I have knowledge of a certain somebody and I can't kill someone without them killing me. Well, I suppose If I can't kill you myself, I'll let you starve here. Tatty-bye!"

"No! You can't leave me here," She screamed as he left the room.

"Come back! Please! you can't do this! I'm begging you!" She heard him laugh as he went up the stairs. She was alone, with no way of escaping out on her own. She was about to break down and cry when a voice came from the top of the stairs.

"Azawia?"


	6. Chapter 6

Azaria groaned at the sound of his voice. Then again, it was better than him being a balverine. He came down the stairs and stopped in front of her cage. His clothes were tattered and his hair was matted.

"Now what do ya want? And how do you know my name anyhow?"

"You told me your name duhwing our last encounter. Since mastah Weavah has locked you down here, I finally have an oppwentunity to talk to somebuhdy." After that he began to ramble for hours about random things. When she could take it no longer, she reached to her side but discovered her weapons were missing. She buried her face in her hands and groaned again. After another thirty minutes she saw an opportunity. He was starting to pace back and forth, still rambling. When he got close enough, she reached through the bars and punched him in the head, knocking him out. She was glad she got him to shut up, then there was the matter of escaping. She looked down and saw something shiny, which turned out to be a key. "What an idiot, if that really is the key to the cage. I mean, even HE should've known better." She crouched down and reached toward it. Luckily he landed just out of her reach. She inserted it inside the lock. Ker-chunk! The door slid open. "Once again, idiot. Now, where did he hide my stuff…?"

She began to search the room. She even looked under the covers of the bed, and nearly threw up at the things she DID find. They weren't there. That meant she was going to have to go upstairs. When she got to the top, she hid behind the wall when she heard snoring. She looked around the corner and saw Reaver, asleep on his huge bed. She didn't want to, but she had no choice. She began to look through his bedroom, but didn't find anything. She opened a drawer and found another key. She took it in hopes that it would prove useful. With that, she began to explore the rest of the house. It looked big from the outside, but inside it seemed enormous. As she wandered the hallways, she noticed there were many portraits of himself hanging on the walls. "Heh heh… he certainly doesn't have very good taste in art!" The search seemed to take hours. She had been looking everywhere she could get into with no luck. She even checked each room twice, except for one. Reaver's bedroom.

She shakily opened the door. Good news, he was still asleep. Quietly she looked under the bed and inside dressers. When she was starting to lose hope, she turned around and nearly fainted. Her stuff was on the bed, under his right arm. She remembered doing something similar when she played pranks on people but this was _Reaver. _The second most powerful person in Albion. But she needed her weapons back. So she worked up enough courage and placed her hands on her stuff and began to pull slowly. He grunted a few times which made her let go for a second or two then she resumed. Finally she managed to get both of them back into her possession. Her feeling of triumph dissolved when she heard Barry's voice. That meant he was conscious again. "Eh? The key- Azawia! I must tell mastah Weavah!"

"Crap", she whispered.

When she got to the door, she had to stop herself from yelling. It was locked. Then she remembered. The key! She slid it in and the door unlocked. But she had no time to celebrate because she could hear footsteps in her direction. So she flew out the door and locked it behind her, and threw the key into the lake. She had done that just in time because now she could hear banging from inside followed by Reaver screaming at his servant. She couldn't understand him, but she heard the words "imbecile", and "how could you". She started to run, but got an idea. She drew her sword and cut these words into the marble statue: "Azaria was here." She giggled and continued to run, thinking about the past events. A few days ago life was normal, but then all of a sudden took a sudden turn for the worst, forcing her out her 'home'. She had fought hordes of beasts, the undead, and narrowly escaped death. She didn't even think she was capable of even half of those things. But she couldn't stay because Reaver was out to kill her. So she sped down the path toward Bowerstone in hopes of finding a place to hide before he managed to get out.

When she got there, there was no place she could go, not even a cellar. So she wandered aimlessly until she saw a ship loading cargo. Then she got her idea. She crept closer, eavesdropping on the soldiers.

"Captain, where is this stuff going?"

"It is going to Aurora because we have no use for these items. They will be their problem."

That was it! So she climbed into one of the crates unnoticed and felt herself being picked up and tossed inside. It was a good thing that she had chosen a fairly large one, because when they tossed the boxes in, they were bolted shut. She was also fortunate that the crate had a few loaves of bread inside. They were stale which was probably the reason they were tossed, but they were all she had. The trip took a total of 2 days. Finally, she felt the crate be tossed up in the air and landed hard with a thud. Once she could no longer hear footsteps, she jumped out where the box had been damaged, landed- and got a mouthful of sand.

She got up and looked around. This was definatly the Aurora she had heard about. Hot and sandy. Not a lifeform in sight. She turned around and saw the ship in the distance. This was it. She had escaped from Reaver's clutches, but didn't know where to go. Before she went anywhere, she decided to check the crates for anything she could use. The only thing she found worth taking was a grey scarf. Why it was in there, she would never know. She wrapped it around her neck and tied it on the back so the flaps would go down her back. She checked to make sure that her weapons were still with her, and felt the top of her head found her goggles. She made sure she was prepared because now she was on her own. This wasn't Albion so she had no one to depend on. Just as she was starting to set off, she saw footprints. Not the ones from the soldiers, but these led to a nearby cavern. She wasn't alone. She began to follow them until she heard voices. The first one was male.

"Look, one of these sods left a journal." The next one belonged to a woman.

"What does it say?"

"I dunno. It's mostly gobbledygook anyway. Let's see-" The rest of his sentence was drowned out by barking.

Curious, she looked over the edge. Down below was a man around forty dressed in mostly red, a dog, and a young woman. Azaria thought she had seen her before, but couldn't place her finger on it. Her comforting appearance seemed so familiar, but she snapped out of these thoughts when they began to advance down the staircase. She quietly followed once they were pretty far down, not wishing to make her presence known. When she was about five steps down, a pink barrier appeared from above. She nearly panicked because that meant she was stuck. But she managed to keep cool and continued to follow the pair. When she got to the bottom, it was completely dark. Luckily, one of them lit a torch. Ever so quietly she followed. They went for a few minutes. It wasn't even that scary once she got used to it except for the occasional hissing noise. Finally she heard a voice-

"The light you bring will die. The light inside you will die. All that you are will die."


	7. Chapter 7

The voice seemed to come out of nowhere and just the sound of it sent chills up her spine. She looked around and saw no one. Finally she looked ahead and saw several white/gray areas in the murky darkness ahead. In a few seconds she realized they were _eyes._ The dreaded voice spoke again. "The children have come to play." Several figures began to emerge from the dark. They appeared to be human, but their eyes glowed and they were made out of shadow. She watched in terror as they as they began to attack the pair. A few made their way over to her, but she just pulled out her sword and struck them. One slash, and they were gone.

It was easy, but terrifying. She thought the balverines looked scary, but these were beyond compare. She sat behind the fallen piece of wall in a daze when she noticed the area around her growing dark. That meant the two were leaving. Quickly but quietly she hurried after them, not wanting to be left alone with those things. "Geez", she whispered, "If I had known these things were down here, I wouldn't have come down to this hellhole." After a bit her feet began to feel tired. It was hard to even manage one step. At last she began to feel a cold breeze. But her hopes were drowned when the breeze snuffed out the torch. Now she was surrounded by total darkness.

There were a few sparks, which signaled that it was being relighted, which comforted her. But her hopes turned to fear at what she saw when it was finally lit. In front of the man was the most hideous thing she had ever laid her eyes. Not only was it ugly, just one look seemed to make her cower in fear, which was rare. He waved the torch at it, and it disappeared. It was official. She wasn't going to stay in there anymore. Not with that thing. But she did not want to make her presence known. So once again began to follow, but faster this time. Once or twice she had to stop herself from running over the dog. There were a few more encounters with the shadow beings and she could hear the taunting voice of the creature. At last there was some light.

The woman jumped off the cliff that was ahead first. Just when the man was about to jump as well, she felt something cold run past her. It was the creature from before, and it was after him. She saw as he was enveloped in darkness and disappeared without a trace. That was it. She couldn't take any of this anymore. She ran and jumped off of the ledge herself. She landed hard on her back, but she wasn't bothered because she had done things like this many times before. She looked around anxiously worrying she had been discovered. Luckily the woman had already started up the hill. She wanted to follow, but she was too afraid of taking on the shadow beings head on. A few were easy, but a whole group would be too much to handle. But she couldn't stay there of all places. So she nimbly climbed the rocks along the path and stealthily made her way ahead of the woman.

She finally found an exit, but then she thought about the man. She wasn't going to leave him here. It was true that Azaria was often very sassy and smart-alecky but in truth she was a very nice person, just rarely showed it. So she turned around and began to search the premises. She was about to give up when she saw a crack in a nearby wall, which could easily be wedged open with her sword. She drew it and inserted it in the crack and pushed down on the handle. It took all of her strength but at last the wall crumbled, leaving a ledge leading to another room. This one had a dark feeling emanating from it. She looked around in confusion until her eyes fell to the ground. It was the man, ensnared in dark veins, grunting in pain. It was a horrible sight. She was about to jump down and help him when she heard running footsteps from behind, followed by barking. It was her. She wished she could help him, but she really did not want to make herself known. She jumped down and ducked behind a boulder. She was happy the man was getting assistance, but also felt guilty because she hadn't gone down herself.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the dreaded voice of the creature. She crouched down and covered her ears, trying to shut out it's words. Once or twice she looked up and saw the woman engaged in combat, relieved that she was still alright. This went on for a few minutes until the hissing and banging stopped. Slowly she released her hands from her head and looked. The man in red was freed, but something was wrong. "That thing… It blinded me." He was blinded! What a horrible thing to do to someone! Luckily the woman took his hand and began to guide him out. Once she was sure they were gone she went down the path herself until she found daylight. Relieved, she wandered until her eyes fell at the bottom of the stairs.

The man in red was on the ground, obviously in pain. Even though he was blind, she was tired of keeping her presence secret. She kneeled down beside him.

"Are you alright?"

"What? Princess, I told you to leave me. I'll be alright." He thought she was somebody else. Then she remembered. She knew she had seen the lady somewhere, and heard her called princess twice. She was the princess! She wished she had been more respectful during Logan's speech.

"But, if I leave you here-"

"Go. Go get help. I'll only slow you down."

She jumped to the ground and landed in a dune. The hot sand burned through her clothing. She lept up and dusted herself off. It was much hotter here than it was at the shore. She wiped the sweat from her brow and began to cross the desert. Just when she sat down to rest, the sky turned dark and a thick, murky haze covered everything around her. She assumed she wasn't paying attention to the time of day until she heard that voice again. But it wasn't taunting her. It was directed toward somebody else. She didn't want to get involved, so she just sat in the sand, shivering with fear.

At last the darkness cleared, and she got up to travel again, shaken up from earlier. She stopped in her tracks when she saw who was laying the sand. It was the princess, moaning. She ran to her and looked down. She was unconscious, but she appeared to be trapped in some sort of nightmare. She remembered what the man had said. It wasn't her job to get help, but the princess was down so it was up to her. She began to run across the desert, screaming for help. She sounded pathetic, but she couldn't do anything else. She kept going until she collapsed from fatigue. She got up and walked, shouting for help between sobs. Finally she came to what appeared to be a large statue.

She was about to keep going, but then she heard voices from the other side of the wall. She ran up the stairs and banged on the stone, even though it hurt her hands. The voices stopped, and a few gasps followed by whispering. There were sighs of relief when she shouted for help. The door slid open. Behind it were several people dressed very oddly. From behind them came a woman. She was dressed like the others except she was bald and had blue tattoos all over her.

"Welcome. Now, what do need? My name is Kalin."

"Two people have become unconscious in the desert! One of them has been blinded and the other one, the princess, has fallen on the ground and she won't wake up!"

After she said that, a blonde pushed his way past.

"The princess you say? The other one's gotta be Walter, no doubt." She felt herself blush as she saw him. She recognized him as the blonde from the execution. But now she was actually getting to see him directly. Her face began to heat up even more as he approached her. He leant down and shook her hand.

"Name's Ben Finn. But everybody calls me Ben. So how did you get all the way out here, anyway?"

"I… Uh… It's like this. I was trying to escape someone because they were trying to kill me."

"Who?"

"Reaver."

"Figures. Why am I not surprised? That bastard doesn't care about anyone's life but his own." Kalin spoke up again.

"We will see to them immediately. In the meantime, you stay here. You will be safe from the darkness this way."

"Kalin?"

"Yes?"

"When you go after them, don't mention my name, okay? I'd rather this stayed a secret."  
>"As you wish. This goes for you, too, Ben, because you are coming with me."<br>"Aw, come on! I was hoping I could stay here and keep this kid company! Wait a minute… Kid, you said it was Reaver that tried to kill you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"If he did manage to kill you, it would be like killing himself. You look just like him! If you really were him, I would pull out my rifle and-"

"Shut up, Ben. We cannot waste time. We must assist the pair."

"Alrighty then. Let's go."

They left and the stone door shut behind them. Azaria was safe now, but now she began to worry about her new friends. Would they be alright? She knew with that thing out there no one was safe. Her heart began to beat faster as she thought about Ben. Worrying was pointless, so she began to wander around the city. It wasn't nearly as hot as it was outside, which comforted her. As she walked down the roads, she heard several people weeping and noticed many tombs for the lost. It was such a sad place. It was the work of the darkness without a doubt. She didn't want to stay, but she couldn't go back to Albion. Reaver was there, and he wanted to kill her. She was tired so she found a place away from everything else. She layed down on the ground, curled up into a ball, and went to sleep.

Azaria was awakened by shouting. When she opened her eyes, she saw a crowd of people by the entrance. She ran over there to see what was going on. When she got there she nearly fainted with relief to see that the two had returned with the pair who had fallen in the desert. She was so happy she had gone for help. If she hadn't, they would have been goners. She felt that warm feeling again when she heard Ben's voice. As much as she wanted to stay, she decided to continue keeping herself anonymous.

When no one was looking, she slipped out the door and out into the scorching desert. On her way down the stairs, she tripped and fell. When she landed she felt something beneath her. She examined it and recognized it as the food Marie had given her. With everything that had happened, she had forgotten all about it. She reached inside and pulled out a piece of ham. She began to eat it as she crossed the desert with one thought: How was she going to get back to Albion? Yes, coming to Aurora had saved her life, but then leaving there at that time would probably save it again. She sat down near a dune once she had finished her morsel and thought about how she was going to get back. It seemed impossible.

Then she got her idea when she looked over and saw the mast of a ship in the distance. She figured she could leave the same way she had come. Azaria stood up and ran in that direction before they took off. Luckily she made it there just as they were leaving. She jumped and grabbed the rope at the side of the ship. She stayed there for a few hours. The reason she stayed was because she loved the feel of the ocean's spray against her face and the way the water moved underneath. Even though she had never been out to sea before, she liked it. In fact, she loved it. Finally when her arms grew tired she scrambled up to the top, making sure she was hidden. She had no idea whose ship this was and didn't really care until she heard voices. They belonged to the ones she had met during her time in Aurora, including Ben. Hearing them made her feel safer knowing that she was a stowaway.

So she just hid among the boxes and ate on what was left of her rations until finally she began to see land. She was relieved at first but it dissolved when she saw fire and heard screaming. Instantly they jumped off the side of the ship and began to run up the hill toward Bowerstone. Her first thought was to stay there and avoid trouble but then she thought about the fate of her new friends. Without hesitation she drew her sword and jumped down after them and ran into the group, but wasn't noticed. She bravely jumped into the crowd of soldiers and held up her sword. She was about to slash when one of them spoke.

"What in the bloody hell is a kid doing here? A kid like her should be at home or working or something. Then again we might need to hire a supervisor because she's probably going to think that sword's her pay!" After that they erupted in laughter. Azaria felt her blood beginning to boil. She took her sword and slashed through the one who had made the remark harder than she had ever slashed before. They all watched as the top half of his body fell to the ground along with the lower half. "Whoa this kid means business! Any threat to the Royal Guard is a threat to the king! Get her!"

They began to charge at her, their swords raised but this was no problem due to her natural fighting instinct. When she finished she felt terrible. She had just committed murder. "Who cares?! They were asking for it!", she shouted trying to console herself. After that there was an explosion and the door ahead was blown to bits. She ran through it, hoping to find safety.

Azaria ran aimlessly through the streets staying out of as many fights as she could. She kept going until she ran into a woman. She was about to cut through her with her sword until she saw her. Her eyes widened and she put away her sword.

"Good heavens! What are you doing out here?! You'll get killed! Where are your parents?"

"I don't have any. I never did. I'm Azaria, by the way. You?"

"I go by Page because I was a bookworm when I was your age. Don't you tell anyone I said that. Come on. I'll take you to safety."  
>"I can take care of myself, thank you."<p>

"Hey, I'd prefer it if you'd keep you smart-aleck remarks to yourself. I don't want another person on the death list so come on." She grabbed her hand and they began to run down the roads past collapsing buildings until they came to a trap door.

"Get down here. You'll be safe there."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. Get down there because I have a few things to take care of."

Azaria scrambled down the ladder and onto the dirt floor. She waited until she could no longer hear the sound of gunshots and screams. She climbed the ladder and looked. The place had been reduced to smithereens. It was hard to tell a neighborhood had been there at all. She got out and began to wander the premises, looking for survivors. Unfortunately she found none. Disappointed, she slowly made her way to Industrial. Surprisingly, it hadn't been touched. She walked over and sat down near a building. She was safe now, but she had nowhere to go, and she was alone. She had lost everyone she cared about- except Ben. She wondered if he was safe. There was nothing she could do, so she just sat there and began to wonder how things would turn out. She was startled out of her thoughts when someone began running toward her. And he was frantic.

"Have you heard?"

"What? And settle down before you hurt somebody!"

"A kid like you wouldn't understand but I gotta tell somebody!"

"Well, out with it."

"Logan's been overthrown! We have a new queen!"

Were her ears deceiving her? She knew he would have to be stopped sometime but she never thought it would happen that soon.

"You're joking."

"I'm not! The coronation is in a few minutes!"

He left as quickly as he had come. Could it be true? The only way was to go to the castle. She promised herself she would never go back there after the execution but now she wanted to see the new queen.

Finally she made it, but she had missed the ceremony. By now she was giving her speech. She promised she would right the wrongs of her brother's reign and restore the economy. Azaria was so happy she had finally taken the throne. After all, she if it wasn't for Azaria, she would've been dead.

When she finished the crowd began to break up and the people began to resume their daily lives, but Azaria stayed, gazing at the castle. It was so huge she felt a little bit intimidated, which was rare for her. But she knew if she stayed there one of the guards would get her in trouble. So Azaria went back to Industrial. She managed to build an area to live using stuff she found in alleys and trash cans. In about an hour she had gathered a bed, a desk, and some wood and pans to cook with. She took two long pieces of lumber, placed one on each side of her home, and placed a blanket over them, making a roof. She also had to be careful about where she built her dwelling. She couldn't put it in the middle of the market because it would attract too much attention, she couldn't place it near a factory because all the pollution would make it hard to breathe. So she ended up putting it at the back of an alley. So everything was somewhat normal again- for a year, at least.

When she woke up, she couldn't breathe and she was wet. She flailed around a little and the blanket fell off. It had rained that night, causing it to fall on top of her. She got up and began to walk through the streets, trying not to slip on the roads. At last she lost her balance and fell face first into a puddle. Luckily it was in a grass patch rather than the street. Annoyed, she got up, trying to dust off the dirt. When she had gotten off as much as she could, somebody ran up to her from behind and shouted, scaring her half to death.

"Hey! Have you heard?"

"Uh, no. Is there something I need to know about?"

"You seriously haven't heard? The whole city's talking about it!"

"What?"

"Logan's being put on trial for his reign of tyranny!"

"Very funny. What's really going on?"

"I'm not joking! You can go and take a look for yourself even though I doubt the guards will let you in."

After that she took off toward the castle. When she got there she stopped and looked at her clothing. They were dirty and ragged. There was no way they would let her in looking like that. Then it hit her. She could sneak in like she had done so many times before. Then it hit her. Yes, she was very devious but this was the castle. It was much larger than any place she had been before and it would be full of people, making it easy for her to get lost and/or get spotted. But she really wanted to see the trial, so she slipped in among the crowd and made her way in. She kept going until she reached the throne room. She ducked behind a suit of armor and began to eavesdrop. She looked up and saw several people standing alongside the queen, Ben,Page, and Kalin among them. They began to ramble about Logan's fate for a few minutes. Azaria was about to fall asleep when she heard the queen speak. She had decided to let Logan live. Her cheeks began to burn with anger. He had been tearing Albion apart for years and yet he had been spared.

She left the castle and set out toward Industrial. She couldn't believe it. She wasn't one for murder, but she did believe that the proper punishment for his crimes was death. But there was nothing she could do about it, so she sat down in her dwelling hoping her other choices during her reign would be better. Throughout the rest of the year they were. Among them were the economy being bailed out, the local orphanage being repaired, and the end of child labour. Things had gotten much better, but as the saying goes, there is always calm before the storm.

The day started out normal. Azaria woke up, somehow manages to obtain food, plays pranks on villagers, and so on. It was near evening when the sky turned dark and the city was enveloped in a thick haze. At first she thought it was just a thunderstorm until she heard that voice again. It was there. Waiting the dark, mocking her. Then all around areas of darkness began form. From them came creatures made of shadows. She drew her sword and began to slash at them. It took one hit to take them out, but it seemed like every time she got rid of one two more took its place. She had no choice but to retreat and seek out cover. But this was done in vain because everywhere buildings were being destroyed so she couldn't hide in any of them. So instead she fought her way down the street and looked for survivors, but that was also in vain. The whole thing was horrendous. This went on for a few hours then the darkness disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. It was over, but she didn't understand how it could all just vanish like that. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that it was gone and she was safe. Then she heard sobbing coming from a nearby alley. She ran over to see what she could do and nearly gasped at what she saw. It was the queen, sobbing over the corpse of the man in red from before. She walked over and bowed her head. She felt a hand on her left shoulder. It was Ben.

"Well, if it isn't the runaway from Aurora. How did you get back here, anyway?"

"I was kind of a stowaway on your ship. But tell me, who is that man?"

"His name's Walter. Tough one, he was. Such a shame to see him go."

After he said that there was a bright flash of white light and when it faded everything was black and white- and frozen in place. Time had stopped. She started to panic until she heard a voice. "Step into the portal", it commanded. She was nervous, but she had no other choice. When she stepped into it, there was another bright flash of light. When it cleared, she was dizzy. Once she had collected her thoughts she examined her surroundings. She appeared to be on some sort of road surrounded by fog, and she couldn't move.

"HEY! I can't move! Whoever brought me here, this isn't funny! You better let me go if you know what's good for you!"

"Don't struggle for you will not be harmed." In front a woman appeared out of nowhere.

"Who the heck are you?"

"I am Theresa, seeress of the spire."

"Why have you brought me here?"

She lifted her head and Azaria nearly screamed in terror. Theresa had no eyes!

"I am going to show you the truth."

"Truth? The truth about what?"

"Your origins. It is time you knew."

There was once again a flash of light and Azaria felt her head growing heavy. Then everything went black.


End file.
